WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness said the Government will be ramping up its land titling efforts in Westmoreland that will assist in mitigating against insecure land tenure.

His statement follows a broader push by the government to promote resilient construction and sustainable community development.

“I’ve given Minister [without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development with Responsibility for Land Titling and Settlements], [Robert] Montague an assignment to see how best we can scale up the land titling programmes that we have under the NLA (National Land Agency), including the systematic land titling programme which will bring titles and regularisation to many communities. Westmoreland being a particular focal area,” stated Holness.

Westmoreland was among five of the hardest-hit parishes by Hurricane Melissa which made landfall on Jamaica’s southwestern coast on October 28. The others are, St Elizabeth, Hanover, St James and Trelawny.

The prime minister was responding to a question from a member of the media in relation to a number of residents being unable to build a solid structure due to insecure land tenure. The interview followed Holness’ main address during the official opening ceremony for the newly-constructed Little London Police Station in the parish on Friday.

Holness admitted that Westmoreland has long faced challenges with informal settlements and insecure land tenure, leaving many residents unable to build permanent structures.

“Westmoreland has a very unique land settlement situation where persons build their homes on stilts because of the lack of permanence in their residential and land settlement arrangements so they have to move very often. It is something that has come up to us from the policy level that we will have to address,” reasoned Holness.

He said the government is now using the opportunity to see how best they can regularise many of the persons who have been occupying lands informally.

“It is an opportunity to bring structure, to bring permanence and to look at the plight of many citizens who have not had the benefit of land security,” said Holness.

The new Little London Police Station was constructed at a cost of $175 million under the Ministry of National Security and Peace’s Project Rebuild, Overhaul and Construct (ROC) initiative, in collaboration with the National Housing Trust. The two-floor building which was conceptualised in 2017 is or will be equipped with a rainwater harvesting system, solar electricity supply system and a backup electricity generator.

The facility is also equipped with administrative offices, human rights complaint holding cells, and comfortable living quarters for the policemen and women who operate from the facility. It also boasts a fully equipped kitchen, laundry area, dorm and a dining room.